How do you deal with stress?

greatkate321

I have been on and off Fitness Pal and this time I'm going to do it! Including asking for feedback which is new to me. I moved in with boyfriend and two kids and a dog. New to all of this and looking for feedback on how to deal with all this stress and not eat and drink everything in sight! Please and thank you!

seltzermint555

One thing that has helped me deal with stress eating/emotional eating is setting "rules" for myself that are pretty strict but also pretty easy to stick to. For example I tend to get stressed at times during the work day but I make sure I eat enough breakfast, lunch, and dinner that I don't genuinely need a snack...so I almost NEVER eat anything in my office. I will only have coffee or tea or sparkling/flavored water. While that's much harder at home with access to your kitchen, the same types of "rules" can apply. If you feel stressed and want to snack, do something else first like taking a walk (maybe with dog), listening to music and having a drink of water...then if you're really actually hungry, have a set of things you can eat like apple, string cheese, or boiled egg (just for example) rather than things like cake or chips. Not saying you should never eat cake/chips but just try to keep the snacking to a minimum and prelog/plan meals so it works to your own advantage.

This might be silly but I also like to floss & brush pretty soon after my final meal of the day and then consider it no longer an option to eat/graze until breakfast.

As for the more long-term or deeper types of stress, maybe try meditation, different forms of exercise including outdoor activities...journaling and even just jotting down a few words each day of things you're grateful for...very helpful, surprisingly so. I also find that when I stop and identify something I've eaten as being "not that good and just because I was stressed or upset" it helps me remember how it did not satisfy me the last time and far less likely to do that again.

I hope some of this is helpful, I know people work differently when it comes to these topics!

greatkate321

Thank you for the reply! You have many great suggestions which I am sure I can use 😁

cwolfman13

I ride my bikes a lot and it's a big stress reliever. I've never been a stress eater though...just the opposite. High levels of stress kill my appetite. Last summer I went through a pretty stressful couple of weeks at work with some big changes and I ended up dropping like 5 Lbs in 2 weeks because I was barely eating anything.

vampirequeen1959

Do you have lots of snacks in the house for the children? If you have to have them then buy things you don't like. I hate dark chocolate but my stepson loves it so his treat is a Bournville. Try the low cal cereal bars. If you're in the UK then Aldi do some. 67 calories per bar so not too bad if you feel the need to eat something sweet.

I find it helps to stay full. I eat three big meals a day....well big as in lots of veg and fruit as fillers. If I feel full I'm less likely to give into a craving because I can tell myself that I'm not hungry. I also drink a lot of coffee or water. Again that keeps me feeling full.

Make sure you get enough rest. Stress gets worse if you're tired and you'll feel hungrier.

shirtswiththumbholes

seltzermint555 wrote: »

This might be silly but I also like to floss & brush pretty soon after my final meal of the day and then consider it no longer an option to eat/graze until breakfast.

I do this too!